Shellenberger, Three Former Cavaliers Invited to U.S. Men’s National Team Training Camp
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In preparation for the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship, Virginia attackman Connor Shellenberger and three former Cavaliers in Matt Moore (’22), Charlie Bertrand (’21) and Ryan Conrad (’19) have been invited to participate at the U.S. men’s national team training camp, USA Lacrosse announced on Thursday (July 28). The training camp will be held at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Maryland from Sept. 23-25.
Shellenberger is one of just two participants set to graduate in 2024, making him one of the youngest invitees to attend this year’s training camp. He became UVA’s 11th Tewaaraton Award finalist and was named a First USILA All-American for the second consecutive year after leading the Cavaliers in assists (44) and points (76) last season. Shellenberger’s 44 assists were good for fifth in the nation last season, while his 76 points were good for 11th. An All-ACC selection in 2022, Shellenberger’s 44 assists stand at No. 5 on UVA’s all-time single-season list and his 76 points are currently tied for sixth. He also finished second on the team in goals (32). In 2021, Shellenberger was crowned the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament after posting 24 points in four tournament games to lead the Cavaliers to their second straight NCAA title.
Moore is currently in his first season in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) as a member of the Atlas Lacrosse Club. As a rookie, Moore participated in the 2022 PLL All-Star game. Moore, who was drafted No. 4 overall in the 2022 PLL Draft, is Virginia’s all-time career points leader after concluding his collegiate career with 277 career points. A two-time captain for the Hoos, Moore led UVA to back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2019 and 2021, a first in program history. He also became the only player in program history to record 40 goals in and 40 assists in the same season, which he achieved in 2019.
Bertrand is currently in his second season with the Redwoods Lacrosse Club after being drafted 24th overall in the 2021 PLL Draft. Bertrand transferred to UVA from Merrimack College to compete in his final collegiate season in the spring of 2021. He appeared in all 18 games of the UVA’s championship run, scoring 26 goals and recording seven assists in the process. Prior to his arrival at UVA, Bertrand won back-to-back NCAA titles at Merrimack in 2018 and 2019.
Conrad is currently a member of the Waterdogs Lacrosse Club. He was drafted second overall by the Atlas in the 2019 PLL Draft. In 2019, Conrad guided UVA to the program’s sixth NCAA Championship and was bestowed a USILA First Team All-American. Conrad was also tabbed MVP of the 2019 ACC Tournament, which UVA won at Klöckner Stadium and was later named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. Like Moore in 2022, Conrad was also the recipient of the Senior CLASS Award in 2019. Conrad represented Team USA at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama.
The September training camp opens a key period in the selection process for the final 23-man roster that will represent the U.S. at the world championship. The U.S. team will play in the Fall Classic at USA Lacrosse headquarters the weekend of Oct. 15-17 and will have one more camp before the end of the year.
The 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship will be held in San Diego, California from June 21 to July 1, 2023. Snapdragon Stadium, a new 35,000-seat stadium slated to open this fall on the campus of San Diego State University, will be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies, the opening game, the semifinals and the medal round games. The University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium will host the majority of featured games, and fields on both campuses will be used for the event which will feature 30 nations and more than 100 games.
The World Lacrosse Men’s Championship traces its roots to 1967 when the United States won a four-team invitational in Toronto that was held in conjunction with Canada’s centennial lacrosse celebration. Since 1974, the event has been coordinated by World Lacrosse and its predecessors (the International Lacrosse Federation and the Federation of International Lacrosse). Overall, the U.S. has won 10 of the 13 championships conducted with Canada claiming gold three times.